Page 55 of The B-Team
DI Singh very much wanted to go home to a glass of wine, a warm bed, and a cuddle with her cat. Instead, she was conducting one last interview for the night. And, to make it even more torturous, she was playing second fiddle to Commander Fitzwater. It was agony.
“Mr. Knight,” the commander said to the man sitting opposite him at the table. “David Knight. Is that even your real name?”
Maya groaned inwardly as she wondered what he was trying to achieve with this line of questioning. Did he have a plan, or was he just groping around in the dark? She glanced at his determined face and suspected it was the latter.
“It is now,” David said with a congenial smile.
He was perfectly relaxed and fully focused on the commander. Maya had a sneaking suspicion thathewas actually the one in charge of this interview. Dressed in black, with a slender but muscled build and everyman features that meant he wouldn’t stand out in a crowd, David Knight shouldn’t have made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. But it did. Every instinct she possessed, both personal and professional, told her that he was not what he seemed. Those instincts also told her to tread with caution and be ready to run at a moment’s notice. She wasn’t sure why no one else in the room appeared to feel the same way.
“What was your previous name?” The commander had the look of a dog after a bone. “Your birth name.”
David’s smile was open and friendly… and about as real as Dolly Parton’s hair. “That’s classified.”
The commander’s hand, resting on the table in front of him, curled into a fist. “By whom?” he demanded.
“That’s also classified.” David leaned forward and spread his hands in a genial gesture. “Why don’t you tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll see if I can help? It’ll be much faster than you taking a stab in the dark until you hit something.”
Don’t fall for it!Maya wanted to scream, but all she could do was hold her breath and wait to see if the commander took the bait.
“And you’ll happily hand over any information I need?” Commander Fitzwater said with clear skepticism.
Maya slowly let out the breath she’d been holding. Perhaps Fitzwater wasn’t so dumb after all.
“It depends.” David cocked his head to one side. “I’m new to Benson Security, so my alliances, let’s call them, aren’t as solid as some of the other team members’. Basically, all I care about is getting my wife out of this in one piece. You remember my wife, Elle Roberts-Knight?” His demeanor was affable, but his eyes glinted with cunning. “So, let’s make a trade. I’m willing to give up certain information if you’re willing to guarantee Elle’s release—and that there will be no charges pressed against her.” He sat back in his seat. “It’s a win-win.”
David’s lawyer placed a hand on his arm. “I don’t think this is a wise proposition,” he cautioned.
The well-dressed lawyer in his mid-thirties obviously had some experience under his belt. Maya knew he was one of the TayFor staff lawyers and suspected he’d been assigned to his client due to David’s lower position on the totem pole. Maya alsosuspected they’d made a mistake. This lawyer was no match for his client.
David spread his hands wide. “I need to look out for Elle and myself. I can’t go down with Benson Security. Truth be told, I don’t owe them any allegiance. At the end of the day, this is just a job.”
“Well,” the lawyer sniffed. “You’re doing this against my advice.”
“Noted, Counsel.” David turned back to the commander. “What are you looking for?”
Fitzwater’s eyes lit up with manic delight, and Maya’s stomach clenched. This was a trap. She didn’t know what form it would take, but the commander seemed eager to walk right into it.
“I want every dirty little secret you have about Lake Benson,” he said eagerly.
“You’ll need to be more specific,” David said. “We don’t have an endless amount of time here. I’d like to get my wife out of her holding cell sooner rather than later.”
“Fine.” Fitzwater sat straighter in his seat. “Benson’s been cultivating information sources for years. We know he has them in every area of law enforcement and the government, but we’re more interested in his people on the street. What do you know about this?”
David shrugged. “That it’s true. I was one of his informants when I worked for a government agency. Lake collects information. All powerful men do.”
“Yes.” The commander practically salivated. “I’d like to know what he does with this information. Is he blackmailing people into doing him favors, or is he after financial reward?”
“Lake’s not going to blackmail for any reason.” David sounded sure. “Wouldn’t put it past him to use the information to lean on somebody though.”
“Exactly. I want to know why he’dleanon someone. Is it a grab for power? Does he play his victims off against one another? Does he have a long-term plan?”
“You mean for world domination or something?” David chuckled. “No, he’s more likely to use information to grease the wheels for his clients.”
The commander leaned forward with feverish eagerness. “Are you saying that if a client came to him with a problem, Benson would use information gathered by his informants to make their problem disappear?”
“Depends.” David looked thoughtful. “Lake’s not really a fixer. He’s more about protecting the people who hire him or helping them find justice. I’m not sure what kind of problem he’d make disappear?”
The commander sighed, clearly frustrated.
